Next WHO Director General Should Exhibit Decisive Leadership, Restore Confidence In Agency

Jan 23, 2017

STAT: Here’s how the next director general can rebuild the World Health Organization
Ed Whiting, director of policy and chief of staff at Wellcome

“…Here are several qualities we believe the new [WHO] director general needs to have, along with several actions the WHO should take to recapture the world’s confidence. First and foremost, the WHO needs more effective political leadership to regain trust. … The WHO must also strengthen its unique role in alerting the world to health emergencies and coordinating the responses to them. … The WHO should lead the fight for access to innovative health care for all. … Clear, decisive leadership on all of the above will go a long way to restoring confidence in the WHO — a vital prerequisite to attracting the financial support the organization so desperately needs. … The next director general should also make a greater effort to better develop the WHO’s relationships with civic society and the private sector … The arrival of a new director general in a few months offers an opportunity for reform that the WHO must put to good use” (1/23).